This unique book examines the career of Michel Ocelot, from his earliest works to his latest research and productions, including an interview regarding his latest film Le Pharaon, le Sauvage et la Princesse (2022). The book highlights the director’s role in the panorama of contemporary animated cinema and his relationship with the tradition, both artistic and cinematographic.
The book carefully analyses the ethical and social nature of Ocelot’s work to underscore the duality of the director’s oeuvre, both artistic and social, using an interdisciplinary approach that blends film and aesthetic criticism with gender studies and decolonial thought. Particular attention will be given to the themes of multiculturalism, discrimination, and treatment of women, which are at the centre of many current cultural debates.
The book will be of interest to an audience of experts, animation enthusiasts, and film scholars, as well as to a wider readership interested in learning about the poetics of Kirikou’s father.
0.1. Introduction.
1. Ars animativa.
2. Silhouette films, A Magical Night Where Anything Can Happen.
3. Once upon a time, Kirikou.
5. Dilili à Paris, or Beauty Will Save Us.
4. A beautiful stranger, Azur & Asmar.
Biography
Laura Buono holds a Master’s degree in Visual Arts from Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna and completed a postgraduate course in Critical Theory of Society at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy. They are a minority rights activist and an independent researcher. They contributed to the drafting of Animation: A World History (2016) by Giannalberto Bendazzi. They participated in the production of national and international animation film festivals including Animadrid, Madrid International Animated Image Festival, Spain. They have been involved in the coordination and development of cultural outreach projects for several museums in Milan. They currently live and study in Rome, Italy.
